ClusterBoron™ material: Partnering to improve process efficiency
Current dopant delivery technology using boron trifluoride faces increasingly critical limitations, forcing fabricators to make significant investments in new equipment. ATMI took on the challenge to increase ion implant efficiency while at the same time reducing its customers' reliance on buying new tools to achieve adequate throughput. ATMI experts teamed up with SemEquip, Inc. so they could tackle this industry need from both sides, an alliance that resulted in a lower-energy, higher-throughput dopant solution-ClusterBoron™ material. By requiring only a simple equipment upgrade, ClusterBoron material allows chipmakers to reduce capital spending and increase fab productivity, taking them quickly to the next node.
The Problem: How to transcend the limitations of a critical process
Low-energy boron implantation is an essential part of the manufacture of sub-micron transistors, yet also presents fabricators with a number of challenges. ATMI has monitored this issue closely, looking for opportunities to bring their experience to bear on the problem.
In ATMI's analysis, the issue went beyond the inherent limitations of traditional materials such as boron trifluoride (BF3). They had also noted that the efficiency of implant tools had dropped, reducing throughput and requiring chip fabricators to invest more capital and floor space in additional implanters.
Seeing that this bottleneck was likely to accelerate with the emergence of 65 nm technologies, ATMI leaders resolved to find a way to help their customers break out of this downward spiral. ATMI's SDS technology is the industry standard for the safe delivery of toxic dopants such as BF3, but ATMI saw an opportunity to build upon this success.
"Our management challenged us to find ways to improve our customers' process efficiency," says Jim Dietz, ATMI director of marketing. "We saw there was a future for a better boron implant process, a solution that embraced both new materials and new equipment." Accepting this mandate, ATMI's implant specialists began to look for novel ways to break the process efficiency deadlock.
The Solution: A new chemical and a new means of delivery
While the idea of clusters is not new, ATMI experts recognized that clusters could hold the key to improving the boron implantation process. To commercialize a solution quickly, ATMI has collaborated with SemEquip, which has focused on designing beam-line and implant sources, and new materials for cluster implantation. Together they are turning an insight into a reality.
As chips get ever smaller, fabricators need implanters that can work at lower energies, so the silicon isn't penetrated too deeply by the ion stream. ATMI's ClusterBoron material (B18H22), paired with SemEquip's ClusterIon™ source technology, allow customers to actually increase the flux of boron at lower energies. Instead of one boron atom in BF3, ClusterBoron material has 18 borons, sharply improving implant productivity without the need for new tools.
Because of the toxicity of the material, ATMI's expertise in packaging was critical to finding a way to deliver the benefits of cluster boron technology without compromising safety. Customers are able to put ClusterBoron material to work with little ancillary effort in preparing them for use.
Finally, ATMI and SemEquip implant specialists knew that the solution would be of little value if it required fabricators to replace their existing equipment, so ClusterBoron materials and the ClusterIon source have been designed to work with existing hardware. Most of the commonly used brands of high- and mid-current implanters can be upgraded to deliver this low-energy solution.
The Result: Safe and easy boron delivery at lower costs and higher productivity
ClusterBoron material is now at the beta stage and its prospects are promising. By making effective and efficient low-energy implantation possible, the solution will offer ATMI's customers a way out of the current deadlock in process efficiency-without a prohibitive investment in completely new tools and equipment. Customers also appreciate That this solution offers them the same standards of quality, safety and reliability that ATMI builds into all of its products for the semiconductor industry.
The collaboration between ATMI and SemEquip also has a bright future. Not only will they continue to refine ClusterBoron materials prior to its launch next year, but the partners have also begun to explore how a similar approach might bring cluster technology to other key molecules such as arsenic.
"Each new solution creates fresh opportunities for ATMI," notes CEO Doug Neugold. "And the semiconductor industry and its needs are always evolving. We enjoy the challenge and look forward to the next innovation we can offer our customers."
